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NASA: Top 10 Space Junk Missions (networkworld.com)
coondoggie writes: NASA' s Orbital Debris Program Office said that by far the source of the greatest amount of orbital debris remains the Fengyun-1C spacecraft, which was the target of a People's Republic of China anti-satellite test in January 2007. Much more debris is now floating around Earth's atmosphere since the six years NASA last looked at the top 10 space junk missions. The space agency says that 10 missions out of the 5,160 space missions that have launched since 1957 account for approximately one-third of all cataloged objects now in Earth orbit. NASA said that the second and fourth most significant satellite breakups are Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33 spacecraft, which were involved in the first ever accidental satellite collision February 2009.
We need the Toybox.
Maybe somebody should go ahead and start building it?
That was easy. Next question please.
Ah yes, space debris, another problem that's easy to create and practically fucking impossible to fix.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
When the Chinese used their ASAT weapon to destroy their own satellite, sending a huge cloud of debris in orbit, they were sending a message. Did anyone get it? What do you think the message was? I didn't see any discussion of this but it came through loud and clear.
The message was, don't fuck with us or we'll destroy your satellites and we don't give a shit how much space debris it creates. Since you are far more dependent on your satellites than we are on ours, you suffer much more in this scenario. If giving China an advantage means screwing up low earth orbit for hundreds of years, then so be it. You have the power to avoid this scenario by not putting us in a position where we feel threatened enough to use our ASAT weapons.
It's just weird seeing a government do things like this, in its own interest. Being an American, I just assume that my own government is going to regard its own country as best as an annoyance and at worst the enemy, and its real goals are global and trans-national. I assume a lot of Europeans feel the same way. It baffles me, seeing a government pursue goals that benefit its own country and not everyone else. I just don't have any frame of reference to compare it to.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
the good news is that SpaceX has made it possible to actually clean up the debris in orbit. the bad news is it's going to take a megashitton (aka kilofuckload) of launches to get it all.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Low Earth orbit is a limited resource to be shared among all nations. The greedy Chinese and Americans are harming the ability of others to fly in low Earth orbit. The debris poses a very real hazard to satellites in low Earth orbit, including manned vehicles. As a European, I'm angry that the EU is at a disadvantage in space travel because of the irresponsible behaviors of China and the US. They should be prohibited from conducting additional flights until their debris is cleaned up.
are just looking for nonwhite people to blame.
Perhaps similar to the time in 1985 when America used ITS ASAT missile to hit the P78-1 SOLWIND satellite, resulting in a need for additional anti-collision design for the ISS?
FWIW the FY1C was 750kg, the SOLWIND was 850kg.. so they should have had rather similar debris clouds..
Or, perhaps it is somehow different? After all, when the US did it, no one else had... Perhaps being first makes it better?
Let's not forget that the US had an uncontrollable urge to blast a satellite themselves too, right after China blasted one of their own. It had "toxic fuel" in it and it could have "poisoned people" if it had "fallen down".
He who puts things in the orbit should be obliged to remove it from there if no longer needed or defunct...
Based on top 10, China has the most with over 3000 trackable items, Russia has 1600, while America has 1200. But, I would bet that if we looked at total national numbers, most likely #1 would be Russia followed by China, America, and then Europe.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Someone somewhere needs to make Planetes obligatory material for space agency personnel somewhere.
FWIW, Planetes is a hard science manga/anime that talks about the problems associated with space debris and the issues faced by people trying to fix said problems.
This is why we need to shutdown all space agencies immediately as too imature and this early in history... dooming the planet to being trapped inside its own atmosphere.
China's anti-satellite test remains one of the most wantonly stupid acts of the space age, by a nation that specializes in them.
YUOFAILTDBSDFT?
I gotta get ready to show up in an office and keep a chair warm for 8 hours doing meaningless shit. Anybody else want to figure out what that's supposed to mean?
The Chinese are wily.
"And now, from the home office in Sioux City Iowa, the Top 10 Junkiest Space Missions:"
"10: Pinata 11"
"9: The International Space Dumpster"
which were involved in the first ever accidental satellite collision February 2009.
That begs the question, "How many satellite collisions have been on purpose?"
I refuse to sign